


B-side flip

by Hinata_Yamimoto



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dubious Consent, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-19
Updated: 2014-08-28
Packaged: 2018-01-09 07:04:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1142987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hinata_Yamimoto/pseuds/Hinata_Yamimoto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sei is working at the junk shop when he receives a link for an unusual game.</p><p>(characters and pairing tags updated as the story progresses)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clear makes a mistake

_... ... ..._  
... ... ...  
please find me  
reach me  
s a v e m e  
s e i  
... 

The telephone rings. 

Sei tucks a clump of his long, black hair behind his ear and quickly puts the clunky receiver to the side of his head before the slippery strands fall back into place. Just before he speaks, he puts on a winning smile--the person on the other end can't see him, of course, but he still likes to be professional.

"Hello! Junk Shop Heibon! How can I help you?" Sei says cheerfully.

"Um. I was wondering..." The voice on the other end of the line is quavery, unsure, and a bit familiar.

"Yes?"

"Do you have any Allmate Type II size B rotator cuffs?"

"One moment, sir, let me see." Sei clicks a few buttons on the computer, searching the records of their inventory. "Yes, we do. Would you like to order them for delivery, or should I keep them here for you to pick up at your convenience?"

"Ah...delivery. Yes."

"Very good, sir. Is there anything else I can help you with before completing your order?" Sei asks, and in that brief, quiet moment when he hears the man on the line take a deep breath, he deeply regrets saying it.

"I think my wife is going to leave me!" the voice sobs.

Sei sighs mentally.

Every.

Time.

At this rate, he thinks he might suggest Haga charge people per minute to call the store.

He debates hanging the phone up, but he can't do it. He always was weak to tears. "I'm sure that's not true," he says instead. "Why don't you tell me what happened?"

Sei stretches back in his chair and restlessly flips his pen between his gloved fingers. When he first started this job, he could only manage one or two spins before he had to retrieve it from the floor. Now the pen spins like a helicopter.

But he listens and makes sympathetic noises. 

He always listens.

At last, there is a pause in the sobbed confessions.

"It sounds like neither of you have been putting enough effort into your marriage," Sei says in his most soothing voice. "It's easy to think of love as something you have to find just once and then it's always there, but it takes work. You have to put energy into it every day to make it grow."

"R-right."

"What I need you to do, as soon as you hang up the phone, is go to your wife and show her how much you love her. Don't just assume she knows you love her. Tell her. At least once a day, you have to do this."

"Okay..."

Sei closes his eyes, concentrating on his voice. "Do your best. Be open and honest and, no matter what happens, you should be proud of your efforts. I believe in you."

"Yes! Thank you! Oh, thank you!" the voice says. "I'm going to do that right now!"

He hangs up the phone.

Sei smiles fondly at the computer, lifting his glasses and rubbing at the bridge between his eyes. It's always exhausting, dealing with people like that, but it's definitely worth it.

A moment later, Sei smacks himself upside the head. "Oh no!"

"What's the matter, Master Sei?" a little voice chirps from the rafters.

"I forgot to get his information!" Sei desperately hits the callback button on the phone, but nobody picks up. He goes to voicemail. He leaves a brief message, but doesn't have high hopes. Once people get his advice, they usually don't care about whatever they wanted to order.

Sei buries his head in his hands. "Mr. Haga is going to fire me."

"I thought you were really amazing, Master Sei! I wish I had love problems so I could get you to solve them!"

Sei laughs a little, getting out of his chair. He searches the rafters, but he can't make out anything in the shadows. "Thanks, Clear. I think. I don't--"

Something crashes into Sei's waist, nearly knocking his glasses off.

"Out of the way!" a little kid yells.

"Kio!" Sei shouts in surprise.

"Gotcha!" a second kid yells, grabbing onto the first and crashing both of them into Sei again. "You're it!"

"Nao, stop it!" Sei says.

"Ah, you ruined our game!" a third kid says, pouting and stamping her foot.

"Sorry, Mio," Sei says. "I mean--you really shouldn't play here. It's dangerous, and I..."

The three brats ignore him and start racing around the shop.

"No, don't--" Sei says ineffectually. "Be careful of the...oh, watch out!"

"Don't worry, Master Sei, I've got this!" Clear says from the rafters. "Stop the chaos~!" he roars, and a tiny white puffball of a flying squirrel launches itself at the screaming kids.

He lands on top of Nao's head.

"Take that!" Clear yells fiercely.

"I've got Clear!" Nao cheers. He grabs the Allmate off his head and throws it at his brother. "Kio, catch!"

Clear spreads his limbs and frantically tries to swoop out of the reach of the jumping kids. "Master Sei~! I've made a mistake~! Heeeelp~!" Clear cries.

Sei picks up a nearby wrench and slams it on the desk, making a huge noise. The kids all freeze. Clear takes the opportunity to fly away from them and crash land on Sei's chest.

Sei glares at the kids the best he can. "Stop. Please," he says firmly.

The kids all start laughing. "'Please.' What is with that?" Kio snorts.

"Laaaaaame," Mio agrees.

"I don't even want to play in here anymore, it's so lame," Nao says, and together the three kids run out of the shop.

Sei sinks back into his seat and carefully untangles Clear's little claws from his shirt. When not in flying mode, Clear is about the size of a tennis ball and just as round. Sei sets him on his shoulder, Sei's loose, black hair making a dark curtain around Clear. " _I_ thought you sounded cool, Master Sei!" Clear says loyally.

"Thank you, Clear."

"Oh! Master Sei! You have a new program!" Sei can feel Clear's whiskers twitching in excitement against his neck. "It's a game! Can we play it?"

Sei sighs. "Clear, what have I said about downloading strange programs without asking?"

"But Master Sei, it looks fun!" Clear whines.

Sei checks his Coil's screen and reads the name. "' _Destroy the Captive Monster_ ,'" he reads out loud. "That doesn't sound very fair, does it?"

"It's supposed to be very deep," Clear agrees seriously.

Sei pats him on the head, scritching the fur at the base of his neck. "Okay, we'll play it when we get off of work. For now, we have to concentrate on trying to sell something before Mr. Haga gets back."

"Mission accepted!" Clear cheers, jumping off of Sei's shoulder and gliding towards the slightly open window. "I'll go drum up some customers!"

"Good luck!" Sei waves after him. He fixes his hair back into a ponytail at the base of his neck, hoping his slippery hair will stay put for more than ten minutes.

He frowns a little. "Still, if the monster is already captured, why do they need to destroy it?" A moment later, the phone rings. Sei shrugs the thought off and goes back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clear's Allmates form is based on the [Momonga](http://www.buzzfeed.com/theangryluddite/meet-the-momonga-25-photos-of-flying-dwarf-squir-5dn9), or the Japanese dwarf flying squirrel. His landings as an Allmate are only slightly better than his landings in robot form.


	2. Mizuki never gets his package

"Go right, Master Sei!" Clear directs. He squirms around in the chest pocket of Sei's modified peacoat, only his pink nose and dark black eyes peeking over the top.

Sei looks to his right and sees a bakery. He pats Clear on the head. "Nice try," he says, and makes a left turn. "That might have worked if we weren't delivering a package to Mizuki."

"pbbth," Clear says, sticking his tiny triangular tongue out. "Fine, Master Sei. There's a Rhyme battle in the connector up ahead and everything's very dangerous, so go back to the main street, avoid the motorcycle, go two blocks and turn onto Akagi Street, buy us something from the yummy crepe cart, and circle around to the bar entrance of the tattoo parlor. Ta da~!"

Sei pats Clear on the top of the head again. "Thank you, Clear," he says and turns back around, tracing his route back to the main street. "What was that about a motorcycle?"

"Step back, please!" Clear chirps.

Sei follows Clear's instructions instinctively, saving his toes and the tip of his nose as a motorcycle screeches to a halt in front of him. The driver glares down at him for a moment, then drives off, leaving Sei in a cloud of exhaust.

"Hey!" Sei yells, his hands clutched up to his chest. His heart is racing, fluttering wildly in his chest. He frowns and shouts, "Learn to drive, jerk!" after the retreating motorcycle, defiantly flipping his middle fingers up in the air.

"Wow, Master Sei! Bad ass!" Clear approves.

Sei blushes and lowers his hands, wrapping them around his body and tucking them against his sides. He resumes walking down the street towards Mizuki's tattoo parlour. "Sorry. Guys like that make me so mad. He could have hurt someone!"

Clear crawls his way out of Sei's pocket and up to his shoulder, nuzzling at the corner of Sei's jaw. He begins to hum softly. Sei feels himself calm down, his heartbeat returning to close to normal. 

Mizuki's bar is nearly empty, but that is normal for mid-afternoon. Sei walks up to the bar. He doesn't recognize the bartender. She must be new. She's a little older than the typical worker, but she seems friendly enough. Mizuki usually has good choice in workers, although the women he chooses all tend to act like Mizuki's Allmate. It's a little eerie.

Sei shuffles his messenger bag off his shoulder. "I have a delivery for Mizuki. Is he available?"

The bartender flips a strand of dark green hair out of her eyes and gives him a pleasant smile. "Sorry, hon, he's meeting with someone right now. Can I sign for it?"

"That's okay; I can wait," Sei says, taking a seat at the bar.

"Can I get you a drink?" she asks.

"Yes, thank you," Sei says. 

Clear jumps off of Sei's shoulder and lands on the bar. Sei pushes the bowl of complimentary peanuts at him and smiles as Clear grabs one between his paws and starts nibbling at it. It's so cute, he almost misses the bartender saying, "Your usual?"

Sei's head shoots up sharply, nearly knocking his hat to the floor. "My what?"

"Midori sour, double vodka with a dash of lime juice and a maraschino cherry, right?" the bartender asks, giving him a wink. "I used to work at Club Moonsheen back before it got closed down."

Sei can feel his face flushing. Oh God. Oh God. "Just cranberry juice, please."

"Sure thing, hon." The bartender plunks a cheerfully pink tumblr in front of Sei. It even has a slice of lime and orange hooked onto the rim. "On the house," she says. "We used to take bets on who you'd go home with, so consider this payback for all the money you won me."

Sei lowers his chin to the bar and covers his head with his hands. "Thank you," he manages to squeak out.

"You don't need to be embarrassed. If you've Got It, Get It, am I right?" she said cheerfully. She leans over the bar, conspiratorially close. "Just between you and me, were you the one that started that riot?"

Sei sinks deeper into his seat. Judging by how his cheeks feel, he must be tomato red at this point. "It wasn't exactly a riot."

"I knew it!" The bartender steps back, giving him a bright grin. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I like your style. If you ever want a free drink, just ask. You're a good investment." She gives him another wink and goes back to organizing the bottles.

Sei pulls a marker out of the front pocket on his bag and starts doodling on a cocktail napkin, hoping that if he concentrates on something hard enough, he'll be able to forget the embarrassing memories that were resurfacing.

Sei had been through a...phase about four years before. He's really thankful he came out of the other end of that without getting anyone pregnant. Actually, considering the number of men he'd also been with, he's very thankful he didn't get pregnant himself. The fact that he also managed to end up with zero STDs is a certifiable miracle.

Having his Granny show up in his hospital room with those test results and a disapproving look had been the worst moment of his life, worse than the attack or riot or seeing that man with all the bite marks, and Sei knows he had totally deserved it.

Sei sighs and pillows his head in his arms, abandoning his drawing. His life is so embarrassing. He closes his eyes and wishes the memories away. In a few moments, he's asleep.

***

Sei's aware of a heavy, comforting warmth spread across his back. Somewhere, two men are quietly talking. He's lying down, so he was probably moved somewhere. He twitches his nose and confirms that his glasses are gone. He thinks, maybe, his hat is gone too; there's a weight on his neck, but it doesn't seem right. He hears a chittering sound nearby. Judging by that, Clear is both okay and has found more food. 

Sei buries his face back in the pillow and inhales deeply. It smells like Mizuki. He must be on Mizuki's couch in the back room. That's okay, then.

Sei closes his eyes and falls back asleep.

***

Sei wakes again when he feels a weight lifted off of his neck. He blinks a few times, yawning as a big red blur resolves itself into a handsome man dressed in a red kimono. He's holding a silly red bird-type Allmate in his hands. So that's what had been lying on him. Huh.

The man seems familiar, but Sei can't quite place where he's from. It doesn't help that he has hair hiding half of his face.

"Hi," Sei says sleepily.

The man takes a step back, startled. "Sei?" he asks, a bit bewildered.

"Hm?" Sei blinks again, trying to clear the sleep blur from his eyes.

The man takes another step back. "Sorry, I..." He turns and leaves the room as quickly as he can without running.

That was strange.

"Sei, are you awake?"

Sei recognizes Mizuki's voice, at least. "No," Sei says, closing his eyes and mashing his face back into the pillow.

"Momochan, come here," Mizuki says.

"Yes, dear," the warm lump on top of Sei says. Sei lets out a whine as Mizuki's big, warm, gigantic mastiff Allmate gently climbs off of him, leaving his back exposed to the cold air. "You really should dress more warmly, Sei dear," she says. "You'll catch your death."

Sei whines again.

Mizuki sits on Sei's feet, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling. "You'll never guess who I was just talking to."

"Mrrh?"

"Koujaku."

It takes a moment for Sei to remember. "The guy who used to babysit me when I was little?"

"Yeah, we went to elementary school together. Apparently, he's back."

Sei scrunches up his face. "What for?"

"He has some bad tattoos he wants me to fix," Mizuki says.

"Oh," Sei says. He supposes that makes sense, although he's not sure why Koujaku would come all the way back to Midorijima for that. "That's nice." Sei rolls over and tucks his nose against the back of the couch.

"Come on, get up," Mizuki says, poking Sei in the side. Sei opens his eyes and gives Mizuki a pitiable look. Mizuki responds by covering Sei's face with his hand and pushing it away. "Don't give me that. Tae will worry if you're late."

"Fine," Sei says, sitting up. He pats the couch around him. "Where are my glasses?"

Mizuki takes them out of his pocket and holds them up, studiously looking away from Sei's face.

"Thank you," Sei says neatly, plucking the glasses from Mizuki's hands and placing them on his face. 

Mizuki lets out the breath he was holding and looks back at Sei. "You really need to stop passing out at my bar. You're giving us a bad reputation."

Sei finger-combs his hair and pulls it back into a loose ponytail. "I didn't pass out; I just fell asleep."

Mizuki rolls his eyes. "I guess this is what I get for having a narcoleptic friend."

"I'm not narcoleptic; I just fall asleep," Sei insists. Mizuki raises an eyebrow. "A lot," Sei adds.

Mizuki laughs quietly. After a second, Sei joins in. Sei looks up at Mizuki and, for a moment, their eyes meet over the top of Sei's glasses. Mizuki's expression softens a little.

"Are you feeling okay?" Mizuki asks.

"Just tired," Sei says. "I had two of _those_ phone calls and then an emergency Allmate repair that took me all afternoon."

"Don't overextend yourself," Mizuki says, picking up Sei's missing fedora and plopping it on his head. 

"And eat a good dinner tonight, Sei dear. You're so thin!" Momochan insists.

"Yes, ma'am," Sei says, bending over and affectionately tugging on the Allmate's velvety jowls.

"You hear that, Clear?" Mizuki says, pointing at Sei's Allmate, currently sitting in a bowl of peanuts. "Leave some food for Sei."

"Mmpfh!" Clear says through his peanut-stuffed cheeks.

Sei buttons up his peacoat. "Here," Mizuki says, handing him a scarf. "It's cold out."

"Thanks," Sei says, wrapping it snugly around his neck and tying off the ends. He picks Clear out of the bowl of peanuts and tucks him into his chest pocket. "Take care," he says sweetly and leaves through the back door.

The evening air is cold, but Sei feels warm and safe, bundled up in his new scarf. He's most of the way home before he realizes he never gave Mizuki his package. He shrugs and tells himself he'll return it tomorrow with the scarf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [pbbth](http://rangerkimmy.tumblr.com/post/72906778138/pbbth)


	3. Noiz does not do very well at Rhyme

The game isn't that hard, Sei thinks. Or maybe, it _shouldn't_ be that hard, except somehow Sei keeps losing. 

"Left, Master Sei!"

"Thank you, Clear," Sei says, following his Allmate's directions without looking up from his Coil. He usually doesn't walk and game at the same time, but Sei's beginning to form a grudge over this game.

The objective is to destroy the monster in the tower and save the princess, right? That's what the email says. Destroy the captive monster.

And so, the night before, Sei had navigated his little pixelated hero to the castle, defeated the twin-headed golden dragon outside the gates, easily beat the random encounter wolves on the way up the spiral staircase, and faced the enormous werewolf trapped in the top room with the blue-haired princess. It was a difficult boss battle, but Sei managed to defeat the werewolf as well, only to find the princess dead on the ground.

Sei played the game three more times, and each time ended with a defeated werewolf, a dead princess, and the words "YOU LOSE" printed in cheery yellow pixels across his screen.

Sei decides to take a new tactic today: heal the werewolf. A werewolf is just a cursed person, right? Maybe if Sei throws the right potion or casts Dispel or something, he'll get better and the princess won't die.

"Ooh! Master Sei! Use that one!" Clear says as Sei's cursor passes the Berserk potion.

Sei shrugs. It's worth a shot, since he'd already tried a normal Health potion and the generic Cure-All. Maybe a Berserk undoes a Berserk? He clicks the button.

His character is now down to 2hp and the werewolf looks twice as angry.

"Heal! Heal!" Clear shouts, his little claws sinking through Sei's shirt and pricking him.

"Got it," Sei says, choosing a Health potion and using it on his character.

"Uh, Master Sei?"

"What about Sleep?" Sei muses. 

"Back, back!"

Sei frowns. "The Remove Silence potion?"

Clear's claws dig in deep enough to actually hurt. "Back! Back, Master Sei! A Rhyme field is forming!"

"What?" Sei looks up from his Coil and sees the ground under his feet glowing a faint blue. He immediately turns and sprints towards the exit of the alley, but the blue light is already glowing brighter.

"I'm sorry, Master Sei!" Clear wails, clutching at Sei's shoulder with his sharp little claws. As Sei runs, he feels the weight on his shoulder suddenly grow heavier and he collapses under it. "I'm so sorry~!" Clear continues, but his voice is more muffled, more resonant. "Oh, wow, hands!"

Sei feels the heavy weight roll off of him, and before he can even get up, he feels himself bodily lifted from the floor and set on his feet.

A large man with white hair, white clothing, and a smiling white mask stands in front of him. Sei doesn't even have time to wonder. The man jumps back and forth, from one foot to the other, waving his arms around. "Look, Master Sei! Hands!" and Sei knows that it's Clear's online form.

"Clear, we have to get out of here!" Sei says. Rhyme is bad news. Sei doesn't even like to play Ribsteez, and the worst that can come out of that is a set of broken bones. A bad loss in Rhyme can break your mind. 

"Right!" Clear says, and hoists Sei off his feet and over his shoulder. "Make way!" He runs towards the edge of the field, but as he reaches the shining door, a large, blue shadow with glowing gold eyes slides over it, blocking the exit.

" _Players set,_ " the blue shadow says.

"Um, excuse me?" Sei says. "I don't think I'm supposed to be here."

"Oh great, a n00b," a woman in a Harlequin mask says. "What's with that ancient Allmate? Do they even sell those anymore?" Her Allmate companion, a large, red man with elk antlers, tosses his head and snorts in agreement.

"Pain in the ass," a man in a rabbit helmet and doctor's coat mutters. "Sly Blue's standards are slipping."

"Let's just scrap him first so we can have a good game, okay?" another man says. This one looks stranger than his Allmate. His companion is a standard cat girl with black ears and a tail, but the man is wearing a pumpkin on his head like the Headless Horseman. Sei has no idea how he can see anything. Rhymers are crazy.

"Right," the woman says.

"Sounds good," the rabbit man agrees.

The blue shadow grows, curving over the walls and ceiling, its arms spread like it's clutching the Rhyme stage to its chest. " _Game start in 10...9..._ " the blue shadow begins counting down.

Sei shrinks back. "Clear: what are your Rhyme moves?" he whispers.

"I don't know!" Clear says, desperately checking his memory banks as the countdown continues. "Um. Song of Destruction. Song of Healing. Shield." Clear's shoulders slump. "Sorry, Master Sei. That's it."

" _3...2...1. Begin fighting._ "

"Clear: Shield!" Sei orders. 

"Yes!" Clear reaches into his white robes and withdraws an enormous transparent umbrella. He opens it with a flourish and stands in front of Sei, bracing himself for impact.

Nobody attacks him.

The rabbit man calls an all-out attack on the woman. The woman and the pumpkin man both call for an attack on the rabbit man. 

The rabbits run at the woman, each of them punching her once. Her body sways with the punches, her arms up and protecting her face. She manages to stay on her feet. After they pass, she looks up and grins. There's blood on her teeth.

The rabbit man isn't so lucky. He's left himself with no defense, and the two Allmates have teamed up. The man's Allmate spins in a circle, her long black tail letting out a concussive blast that lifts the rabbit man into the air. The woman's Allmate springs forward, a long spear clutched in his hands. He swings the spear around and hits the rabbit man in the chest, driving him back towards the ground. Sei can hear the crunch.

" _Round two, begin in 5...4..._ " the blue shadow announces.

"Clear: Healing Song," Sei commands.

"Are you hurt, Master Sei?" Clear asks.

"On him," Sei says, pointing to the rabbit man. "Healing Song on him."

"Okay," Clear says dubiously. Sei knows he's being foolish, but everyone ignored him last time and, well. He can't get the sound of that crunch out of his ears.

" _Round begin_ ," the blue shadow says.

Clear begins to sing. It's beautiful. Sei can hear bits and pieces of all the silly songs Clear would hum to calm him down when his heart beat too fast, but they're tied up in other notes, multiple melodies, all sung with the same voice.

It seems to be working. The rabbit man gets to his feet, patting his body in apparent surprise. Sei gives him a friendly wave. The rabbit man hesitantly waves back. Sei thinks, maybe, he's made an ally.

The rabbit force is attacking the woman again, who is doing something defensive--maybe a stat-based effect? It's hard to tell from this distance, not that he knows much about Rhyme anyway.

Sei reaches out and grabs Clear's hand, lacing their fingers together. He thinks, maybe, if he plays it smart and defensively, there's a chance they might all make it out without any permanent brain damage.

Someone taps him on the shoulder. Sei turns to see who it is.

"Sneak attack!" the cat girl announces and knocks him out with one punch.

***

Sei wakes up in bed with an extremely handsome man leaning over him. Sei isn't sure whether to be confused, proud of himself, or embarrassed that it happened again. He notices that both himself and the man are fully dressed, the man in a chauffeur's outfit and tinted visor sunglasses, and that the last thing he'd done was lose a game of Rhyme, and Sei decides that 'confused' is probably the correct emotion.

"What?" Sei asks.

"Good. You're awake. I will take my leave, sir," the man says. He exits to Sei's balcony.

"What?" Sei repeats.

There is a big thud outside.

"What?"

"Wow! That was amazing!" Clear says.

"Clear. What happened?"

"He just jumped off the balcony and landed in a three-point landing like in the movies!"

Sei takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Clear. Who was that, and why am I in bed?"

"Oh!" Clear jumps off the bedpost and glides to Sei, landing haphazardly on his chest. "His name is Ren and he is a chauffeur but he doesn't know how to drive and he found you when I was trying to take us home after you passed out and he carried you princess-style around town until we found home and put you in bed and watched over you until you woke up and it was just like in Master-san and Maid-tan~!"

Sei takes a moment to review everything Clear said and weed out the unimportant bits. "Does Granny know?" he asks.

"Oh no, he was very discreet! He carried you up the wall and brought you in by the balcony." Clear pauses for a moment. "By the way, I believe you now need new hinges on your door."

Sei leans back in his bed and closes his eyes. His life is becoming very, very strange.


	4. Akushima is a sucker for a boy in need of a father figure

Sei's tongue is pinched lightly between his teeth, brow furrowed in concentration as he carefully pries out the bulging capacitor from the motherboard. The note says the owner just wants his CPU moved onto a new motherboard, but Sei's pretty sure if he replaces the broken component with a slightly higher capacitor and a small resistor in series, the little cube Allmate won't burn out nearly so often. He's done similar fixes on Clear before, and for the most part they've kept him in good working order.

"Is he alive yet?" Clear asks from above, gliding in circles until he bonks his head into a rafter.

Well, Clear's an older model. 'Good working order' is very relative for Clear.

"No, he's still turned off," Sei replies. He fishes the replacement parts out of his toolbox of miscellaneous supplies. He removes his glasses, squinting at the colors on the resistors until he finds the correct size. "You make me sound like a mad scientist," Sei says.

"Oh, no, you're probably not mad, Master Sei," Clear says.

Sei laughs and puts on a pair of goggles. He snaps the components back into the board, grabbing his solder iron and dabbing three clean spots of solder onto the board to hold the pieces in place. "Done," Sei says. He removes his goggles and blows lightly until the solder hardens. When it's ready, he puts the motherboard back into the slot in the Allmate and closes its panel with a snap.

The Allmate hums, lighting up. "Good morning!" Sei says, smiling at it kindly.

"P!" the little cube chirps, bouncing from side to side.

"How do you feel?" Sei asks.

"I feel..." The cube trails off. "I feel?"

"Yes?" Sei prompts.

"You're alive!" Clear cheers, landing on the workbench. He jumps on top of the cube and peers down over the edge, looking at his square rabbit-print faceplate upside down.

"Thank you!" the Allmate says. "I feel much better!"

"It wasn't that hard a fix," Sei says as the door to the shop jingles behind him.

"Does that mean I get a discount?" a man's voice says. Sei turns and sees a young man with a ridiculous amount of piercings.

Sei gives him a professional smile. "Oh, are you the owner? That's convenient."

"Not really," the young man says. "I got a signal as soon as Pseudobunny came back online."

"Noiz!" the cube calls, bouncing towards the young man. "He fixed the busted motherboard you put in me! I feel great now!"

"Let me see," Noiz says and pops the Allmate's casing open. He nods to himself--Sei assumes it's in approval, but Noiz's expression doesn't change at all. "A little kludgey, but it looks like it'll work. Not bad." He snaps it shut again.

"Thanks," Sei says, blushing slightly. He busies himself putting away his tools. "You didn't need a new motherboard, so parts are going to be cheaper, and I--"

"I don't actually care about a discount," Noiz says. "That was a joke."

Sei frowns in confusion. "Oh?"

"I want you to step outside with me for a minute. In about--" he checks his Coil "--ninety five seconds a..." He trails off. "Huh. I hadn't noticed last time. You have really pretty eyes."

Sei blinks three times. "What?" he asks, but Noiz is already leaning in. He feels Noiz tilt his hat back out of his face, and he has just enough time to close his eyes before Noiz is kissing him.

It's a pretty funny kiss, all things considered; Noiz is sloppy and inexperienced, but the brush of Noise's piercings over his tongue makes Sei's toes curl. Sei smiles and leans into the kiss. 

An alarm on Noiz's Coil starts beeping.

Sei abruptly pulls back, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. Do I know you?" Sei asks, and reminds himself that most people would ask that _before_ making out with an attractive stranger.

Noiz swears quietly--Sei assumes he's swearing, anyway. He doesn't understand the language. It sounds like German, but he can't be sure. "Sly Blue's here. Come outside with me. This won't take long."

"O-okay?" Sei says, stumbling along after Noiz. Noiz has him by the wrist. His grip isn't so tight that Sei couldn't break it if he tried, but he does seem pretty insistent.

"Master Sei, wait!" Clear cries, flying after him and landing on his hat. Pseudobunny bounces after Noiz.

"Where are we going?" Sei asks. The door jingles as they leave the shop. Sei hopes Mr. Haga won't mind him leaving the shop unattended for a minute.

There are a fair number of people milling around outside the shop. Sei doesn't recognize a lot of them, but he notices that some of them are dressed in the neon green cube patterns Noiz is wearing.

"Hey! Sei!" Sei hears someone calling him. He turns and sees Mizuki jogging towards him. "I still haven't got that delivery from you. Do you...where are your glasses?" Mizuki comes to a halt, eyeing Noiz suspiciously.

"Oh, Mizuki! This is Noiz," Sei says, making introductory gestures. "He was just going to, um..."

Noiz tilts his chin up at Mizuki, giving a sneer. "I know you," Noiz says. "Clear out. There's a Rhyme field forming in a couple of seconds. No Ribsters allowed."

"Wait, Rhyme?" Sei says, at the same time Mizuki asks, "You play Rhyme?"

"Only once! By accident!" Sei insists, waving his hands.

"We were really bad!" Clear adds.

Noiz leans in close to Sei. "I really need you to play me again."

Sei's eyes widen. He points a finger at Noiz's face. "You're that rabbit guy who attacked me!"

Mizuki pushes in, shoving his way between Noiz and Sei. "You attacked him?"

"I didn't attack him!" Noiz growls.

"You told the others to attack me!" Sei accuses.

"NO ONE ATTACKS SEI!" a loud, deep voice shouts from above. Seconds later, a dark-haired man in a chauffeur's outfit and sunglasses lands on the ground between Mizuki and Sei in a perfect three-point landing. His fist has made a crack in the pavement, and sparks crackle around the break.

"Wow, Ren! Great entrance!" Clear cheers.

"Are you okay, sir?" Ren asks.

"Fine," Sei nods. The ground around their feet starts to glow in the blocky pattern of a Rhyme field. "We should--"

Noiz grabs Sei's wrist and leans in, his lips almost touching Sei's ear. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just need you to hit me, then heal me, then hit me again," he says, his voice low and breathy. "Please."

Sei closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, willing away the effect Noiz's request had on him. "I'm really flattered, but I don't really do that any--"

"ALL YOU PUNKS: FREEZE! YOU ARE ALL UNDER ARREST!"

When that wave of booming, amplified sound hits the crowd, everyone does freeze for one moment. The moment after that is filled with sheer panic, people and Allmates running everywhichway. Even the initial glow of the Rhyme field slides away in apparent fear of a police force wielding a megaphone.

Sei keeps hold of Noiz's hand and wraps his free arm around Mizuki's. Ren stands at his back, glaring at anyone who would dare approach Sei from behind.

"Don't run," Sei whispers to his companions. "They always arrest the runners."

"Have you been in a lot of raids?" Noiz whispers back.

"You wouldn't believe," Mizuki mumbles, largely to himself.

The lead policeman approaches their little group. Sei can feel Noiz's muscles tensing, like he's about to make a break for it. "Don't," Sei orders. "Be polite. Smile. Smiling helps." Noiz stares at him incredulously.

"Hello, Mr. Akushima!" Sei calls out. He bends his body forward, his shoulders hunched and hands clasped behind his back. He peers up through his fringe of bangs, smiling shyly, and although he's only an inch shorter than Noiz and is nearly as broad as Mizuki, he suddenly looks tiny and vulnerable.

Akushima sees him, pauses for a moment, and--to everyone's twin surprise--puts down the megaphone and smiles. "Sei. What are you doing here?"

Sei sheepishly toes at the ground. "Oh, you know me, Mr. Akushima. Always in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Never met anyone with as bad luck as you, kid." Akushima reaches out and affectionately straightens Sei's crooked fedora. "What happened this time?"

"Oh, you know. I was going to get lunch with my friends," Sei motions to Noiz and Mizuki and, why not, Ren too, "and I asked Clear to plot a nice, safe path to the restaurant, and of course he brings us right into the middle of some gang meeting!"

"It is true!" Clear chirps from Sei's shoulder. "I am the worst at directions!"

Sei leans forward conspiratorially. "I think it was the start of a Rhyme battle."

Akushima taps the side of his nose. "Could be, kid. Could be." He leans back and puts the megaphone to his mouth, aiming at at another person in uniform. "Hanekoma, you're in charge of rounding up the rest of these punks. I've got some business to take care of," he says into the megaphone, amplified voice loud enough that Sei can see the officer's shoulders hunching up to cover his ears.

Akushima lowers the megaphone and turns back to Sei. "Come on, kid. I'll walk you and your friends home. Streets aren't safe."

"Thank you, sir!" Sei says brightly, getting in step beside him. Sei glances over his shoulder at Mizuki, Noiz, and Ren, making a stern face and motioning them to follow. He turns back to Akushima, smiling politely.

"So, how's your granny been doing?" Akushima asks, and Noiz and Mizuki are amazed as Sei continues to make small talk with the most feared cop in Midorijima all the way home.


	5. Tae wants her dishes washed correctly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will mark an uptick from Teen to Explicit rating. I was originally going to make this a gen route story since I like all the characters and didn't want to favor some over others. Instead, I will make it an Everyone route since I love all the pairings and realized I could just do them all.

Everything is dark and hot and Sei feels wonderful, a beautiful stranger's legs wrapped around his waist, nails scraping at his skin, urging him deeper, pressing him to thrust harder. He doesn't know who he's with, he doesn't care, not with this wonderful heat, this smooth skin, the stranger's silky, dark hair and even darker eyes.

The stranger pulls away, staring Sei in the eyes. His eyes are so dark, pure black. Sei has never seen such dark eyes before. 

"Do you love me?" the stranger asks, and suddenly Sei does, he does, _he does_. He loves the stranger, and he still doesn't know who he is. He blinks back tears from how strong, how absolute the feeling is.

"Do you love me?" the stranger asks again.

"Yes," Sei gasps, pressing his face into the crook of the stranger's neck, breathing in the heady scent. "Yes, yes, yes," he says, each one a promise, a kiss on his neck.

"Would you die for me?" the stranger asks.

He kisses the stranger, wet and needy, feels the stranger's teeth tear at his lips, feels him smile at the taste of blood. If he could pour himself into that kiss, let the stranger swallow him until nothing was left, he would. Happily, he would.

"Yes!" Sei pleads. _yes yes yes yes yes..._

***

Sei wakes suddenly. He hasn't moved at all in the night, still on his back with Clear curled up on his chest. Clear must have gone into sleep mode after Sei fell asleep. His weight is comforting, and it helps settle Sei back into a waking mind.

His heart is racing; he's surprised it hasn't woken Clear up. His head hurts, too. Such a strange dream. He had been sleeping with a stranger, a monster, it had told him to love it and he _had_ , he didn't want to, but he had _loved_ it and he hadn't had a choice, and it...

The monster had his face, Sei realizes with a start. In his dream, Sei had thought of it as a stranger, but it had looked just like him. He puts a hand on Clear's back to turn him on, but thinks better of it. He doesn't think he could stand Clear's unconditional, absolute faith in him. He feels dirty.

He gets up slowly, settling Clear into the center of his pillow. It's funny, Sei thinks. Even like this, turned off and still, even after poking inside him and fixing broken parts and short circuits and loose resistors, it's easy to believe that Clear's alive.

He goes downstairs, towards the lights and sounds of clinking dishes in the kitchen. He pokes his head warily through the doorway.

"Morning, Granny," Sei says sheepishly.

"Morning? Bah!" Tae says, waving her dishcloth at him. "You've only been asleep two hours. Your pills are at your place at the table."

"Thank you," Sei says, settling into his seat. He eyes the pills with distaste, reluctantly swallowing down one after the other.

"You can wash them down with this," Tae says, plunking a mug of cocoa in front of him. Sei gratefully wraps his hands around the warm mug, breathing in the steam. He can feel the pills working already, his heart slowing back down to normal, his headache fading away.

Tae presses the back of her hand against his forehead, then cups his cheek with her palm. He looks up at her as she does this, their eyes meeting, and he can see Tae's face soften. "Poor thing. You feel cold."

Sei shrugs and drinks his cocoa. "I'm feeling better already. Thank you, Granny."

Tae clucks her tongue, returning to her dishes. "I expected you'd be feeling bad, all that excitement and going around without your glasses."

"I hate my glasses," Sei mumbles into his cocoa. "They make it hard to see."

"Are they blurry?" Tae asks. "We could get a different prescription."

"No, not blurry, just..." Sei sighs. "I don't know how to describe it."

"Well, they are supposed to shield your eyes from higher frequency light. I wouldn't be surprised if they cut out some other frequencies as well," Tae says. 

Her hands are thin and knobby with thick blue veins, but they handle the fragile dishes with a comforting confidence. Sei thinks she could put them all away with her eyes closed and not chip a single one. 

"I'll talk to the optician tomorrow, maybe see if he can refine the coating to be a little more precise," she says after a moment's thought.

"Thank you, Granny. You're the best." Sei gets up to help her with the dishes, and she thwaps him with the wet dishcloth.

"You just sit there and feel better. Your friends were more than enough help," she says, rolling her eyes.

Sei laughs, pressing his hands against the back of his neck. They're warm from the mug, and the heat feels so good. "What did they do?"

She snorts. "After you went upstairs, Mizuki offered to help with the dishes. Then the other two had to get involved. Mizuki I already know is hopeless at chores, bless his heart, but if Noiz has ever washed a dish before in his life I will eat my right shoe, and if Ren has ever _seen_ a dish before I will eat the other one. I ended up with a wet floor and a pile of dishes that still needed to be cleaned the right way."

Sei ducks his head. "Sorry."

"Bah. They're good kids. Hopeless, but good kids. They all look like they need a good, home-cooked meal. You can invite them over again whenever you like." Tae pauses to think. "Not all at once, though."

"Thanks. I'd like that," Sei says. He slowly drinks the rest of his cocoa, happy in the sweet, warm taste and the friendly bustle of his grandmother's cleaning. He looks at the bottom of his mug, swirling the dregs around. "Granny?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you heard anything from Mom and Dad?" he asks, a little too casually.

"No, not since the last letter they sent you," Tae says.

"Oh," Sei says. "Okay."

Tae shuffles over to Sei and kisses him gently on the forehead. "It's hard for them to get messages here, but they love you, just like I love you."

"I know," Sei says.

Tae pats him on the head. "You should get back to bed now."  
"Okay, Granny," Sei says. He gets to his feet. "Good night."

Sei goes up the stairs, doing his best not to stumble. The drugs always make him feel so heavy, like his body is filled to the brim with sand. He falls into bed, careful not to land on Clear, and he feels like he should keep falling, he should sink into the center of the Earth, he's so heavy. He curls up on his side and closes his eyes. He doesn't want to sleep.

"Master Sei?"

Sei's eyes open. When did Clear get turned on? They're practically nose-to-nose, Clear curled up on the pillow next to Sei's head. Sei looks into Clear's big, black eyes and runs a finger through his fur, from the top of his fuzzy head, along his spine to the base of his tail. "Hello, Clear. You should go back to sleep mode."

"I don't want to sleep," Clear says. "I want to sing. May I sing for you, Master Sei?"

"That would be nice. Thank you," Sei says.

Clear climbs up onto Sei's shoulder, hiding himself in a curtain of Sei's long, dark hair. His weight is warm and comforting.

"I love you, Master Sei," Clear says.

Sei wants to tell Clear that no, Clear doesn't love him, it's not real, he's just programmed to say that. Instead, he cups his hand over Clear's back and tells himself not to cry. He listens to Clear sing and, after some time, falls asleep.


	6. Mink gets more than he expected...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN RATING AND WARNINGS. 
> 
> This chapter is Explicit.
> 
> Have also added the Rape warning tag since, with Sei's powers involved, everything is, at best, dubious consent.
> 
> I have also switched this over to my pen name for my more adult works, so if you're subscribed to me and not this story in particular, you should switch over, too.

It's a nice night out, Sei thinks. Much warmer than the previous week, although it's still chilly enough that he's glad to have his coat. He walks down the street cheerfully, swaying to the beat of the music in his head, and not at all because he is somewhat tipsy. 

That last part is a lie.

Itsuki and Sven from the laundromat across the street had invited him out after work, and Sei was never one to turn down 50% off barbeque with some good friends. They had done their best to not make him feel like a third wheel, and it had been nice. It had.

"Master Sei?" Clear says, tugging lightly at a tiny fistful of Sei's hair that had swung in front of Clear's personal pocket.

"Hm?"

"I don't want to scare you, but there's a pink bird that's been following us on the rooftops for a few blocks."

"An Allmate?" Sei turns and squints up at the rooftop, ignoring Clear's cries of "Ah! Don't look!" He can vaguely make out a splotch of pink. "Can you tell who it belongs to?"

"I can find out!" Clear shouts, and he jumps out of Sei's pocket, launching himself into the air towards the building where the Allmate was lurking. 

"Wait! I meant...." Sei trails off. 

Moments later, a flurry of pink feathers swoops past Sei's head, followed by a puff of white fur.

"Tell me your secrets!" Clear roars at the bird.

"Just read its ID signature!" Sei calls after Clear. He runs after the racing Allmates, one hand keeping his fedora firmly on his head, the other one waving apologies to all the people he darts around in an effort to keep up. 

The bird flies to the end of the block and takes the turn, Clear and Sei following after. This street is a lot quieter, mostly locked up stores and a few tight alleyways. Sei figures he can make up the distance and barrels headlong down the empty street.

Sei catches a glimpse of a bloody young man lying in an alley, is distracted, trips, and falls.

Sei gets to his feet, brushing his knees off and examining his gloves for damage. They seem fine, so he's probably not hurt under them. His glasses have come off, lost somewhere in the shadows of the alley. The Allmates are long gone.

"Hello?" Sei says, looking back into the alleyway. The young man is still there. He's hunched over, cradling one of his hands to his chest. There is blood smeared on his cheek, his hands, spattered across his sleeves.

The man flexes his injured hand, holding it out so he can inspect it. Sei can see that his knuckles are torn and raw. Sei's also beginning to suspect that his knuckles are the _only_ thing hurt.

"Do you need help?" Sei asks.

The young man's head whips around, noticing Sei for the first time. His lips curl into a snarl, the ends of his short, blue hair bristling out like an animal with its hackles raised. Before he can say anything, he freezes, expression suddenly confused. He tilts his head.

"Sei?" the man asks.

It's Sei's turn to be confused. "I'm sorry. Do I know you?"

The man smiles. It's such a sad smile. Sei think there's no way he would have forgotten a smile like that, even with the holes in his memory.

Sei hears someone's footsteps. He turns and sees a giant of a man with long, brown dreadlocks and feathers in his hair walking towards him. He doesn't look familiar, but he doesn't have any blood on him, so he's probably not involved with the injured young man.

"Excuse me, this man is--" Sei starts to ask for help, but when he turns back, the injured man is gone. Sei didn't hear him go. There isn't even any blood left on the bricks. Sei scratches his head. "I'm sorry. Never mind."

The tall man opens a hand. In his palm, curled up and unmoving, is Clear. "Is this yours?"

"Clear!" Sei reaches out to grab him, but, no, that would be rude. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. I turned him off," the man says. He exhales through the nose in a way that, on anyone else, would be a laugh. "He's very loud."

Sei blushes. "I'm so sorry. He's a really old model, so he can be pretty buggy." He holds his hand out for Clear, but the man doesn't move.

"He was chasing after my Allmate," the man says.

Sei can feel his entire face turning red. "Again, I'm really sorry. He misinterpreted what I asked him to do."

"I asked my Allmate to lead you down this street," the man says. He takes a step forward, towards Sei. Sei automatically takes a step backwards, his heart suddenly pounding dangerously in his chest.

"Did you?" Sei asks weakly.

The man takes another step forward, tucking Clear into the pocket of his long, gray coat. Sei backs up again, feels his back bump against the alley's brick wall. The man smells really good, like his cologne has cinnamon in it. Sei probably shouldn't be noticing that right now.

"You're Sei Seragaki, correct?"

"Maybe," Sei says. The man leans forward, bracing his forearm against the brick above Sei's head. He has a beautiful jawline. Sei wants to bite it. 

Fuck. 

Well, at least Clear's not watching.

"Yes," Sei says, glancing down coyly. He looks back up, locking eyes. "What's your name?"

"Mink," the man says, looking momentarily startled.

"Mink," Sei repeats with a smile, tasting the name. He tilts his head upwards, tossing the hair out of his eyes. Mink's eyes are unusual, an almost gold shade of brown. He likes it. 

"You're looking for me, Mink?" Sei reaches out and trails his fingertips along Mink's cheek. He has something funny clipped to his ear, something that looks partly ornamental and partly functional, though Sei can't guess what for. It's pretty.

"Yes, I--"

"Good," Sei says, and pulls him in, kissing him roughly.

Mink kisses back, pushing Sei so hard he would have hurt his head on the bricks if Mink hadn't been gently cradling it in his hands. Sei can feel the strength in Mink's arms, his body, pressed up against him. Sei bites at Mink's lips, catching his lower lip in his teeth and gently worrying it, hard enough to hurt, but not to bleed.

Mink groans and tries to capture Sei's lips again, tries to take control. Sei laughs daringly and tosses his head back and forth, forcing Mink to miss, to scatter kisses all over his face, to worship all of him.

Mink growls and attacks Sei's neck instead, kissing and licking along his sensitive pulse. Sei grabs a fistful of Mink's hair, threading his fingers between the soft dreadlocks, and pulls his head in even harder. "Bite," Sei commands, and Mink does, and Sei's nerves sing.

Sei has mercy on Mink and kisses him again, and he can feel the relief in Mink as they come together. Sei reaches out and touches Mink's chest, feels the lines of the muscles under Mink's thin shirt, every last inch of him perfect and hard.

His hand slips down farther and finds that this, too, is perfect and hard, straining hot and demanding against Mink's pants. Mink starts moving, pressing himself rhythmically against Sei's hand. 

Sei wraps a leg around Mink's waist and leans back, neatly sandwiching himself between the wall and Mink's heavy weight, trusting Mink's hands to keep him safe from the brick. Their erections press hard together, and Mink keeps up that beautiful rhythm, undulating his hips, like he's fucking Sei through his pants.

Sei had wanted to see Mink on his knees, see Mink serving him, all those muscles and hard edges under his control, those strong hands grabbing Sei's thighs as his proud, swollen lips and beautiful jaw worked to bring him pleasure, but it has been so long, and the rhythm of Mink's hips feels so good...

Sei pushes Mink away. Mink stands there, a dazed look on his face, and lunges forward to kiss Sei again. Sei fixes him with a look, keeps him in his place. "Pull down your pants," Sei commands, and it only takes a moment before Mink's hands are racing to undo his belt.

Sei undoes his own belt, takes one shoe off, tugs his skinny jeans down until one leg is clear and the other has his jeans flopping around his ankle. It's not his sexiest look, but it's functional. He grabs a small single-use container of lube out of his pocket and rips the top off with his teeth, squirting it into his hand.

"Come here," Sei says and doesn't give Mink a chance to respond, wrapping his hand around Mink's dick and pumping it until it's nicely slicked with lube. He palms the rest on his ass, pushing his underwear to the side. Good enough. 

"Inside me," Sei says, and Mink breathes, "Yes" and presses against him. Sei can feel the tip of Mink's dick pushing into him, sliding in, and it hurts in such a nice way. He lifts a leg around Mink's waist again, opening his hips, welcoming him in, and Mink slides all the way in.

Sei's head is thrown back and, ah, it has been too long, it feels so good to be filled. Mink's hands are clutching at his waist, and they feel so strong, Sei bets he could wrap both legs around Mink's waist and let him hold him there.

Sei curls his head forward, getting used to the feeling, and tucks his head into Mink's neck, breathing deeply. He smells amazing. He gives Mink's neck a lick and backs up, pressing his forehead to Mink's, staring into his oddly golden eyes. "Fuck me," Sei requests affectionately, and Mink does so.

Mink slides in and out slowly, gently, each thrust a little curve of his hips, moving just an inch in either direction. It feels lovely, the tiny movements teasing him, hitting just the right spot to work him up and draw out a gasp.

"Harder," Sei says, and Mink breathes, "Yes" and pumps harder, pushing into Sei more strongly. Sei grabs onto Mink's back and urges him on. "Harder. Harder!" Sei demands, staring Mink in the eyes.

"Yes!" Mink breathes, grabbing Sei's leg from around his waist and lifting it higher, pulling himself deeper. He thrusts into Sei relentlessly, mindlessly, and it is all Sei can do to just hold on and be taken. Sei throws back his head, his pulse racing and fluttering, and laughs from the sheer joy of it. It is so wonderful, so exhilarating. He's still laughing as he climaxes.

Mink thrusts into him throughout it all, never slowing, never backing down an inch, even as Sei writhes and cries himself hoarse and spills his seed. 

Sei comes down from orgasm sleepily, trailing his fingers across Mink's pink bandana as Mink continues to thrust. "Come for me?" he suggests, and Mink does, burying himself in Sei as fully as he can, giving a low, deep-throated groan as his dick pulses, finally stilling.

They stay like that for a minute, Mink still inside Sei, both of them catching their breath. Eventually, Sei puts both feet on the floor and eases himself off of Mink, gingerly separating them.

"Thank you," Sei says, giving Mink a winsome smile. Mink still looks a little gobsmacked, but Sei knows he just has that effect on people sometimes. Besides, the sex had been really, really good. "I needed that."

Sei pulls his pants back up and goes hunting for his other shoe and missing glasses. They have to be somewhere around here. Sei asks, "Have you seen--"

Something hits Sei on the back of his head, and everything goes black.


	7. ...but not what he wanted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The entirety of the Mink route. You have been warned. (no non-con in this chapter)

Sei wakes slowly. His head hurts. "Clear?" he calls out quietly in a cracked voice, his lips brushing against fabric that tastes antiseptically clean. It doesn't smell like Mizuki's couch. It doesn't feel like his bed at home. Where is he?

He's sore everywhere. Sei experimentally flexes his shoulders, his calves, and winces when he tries his ass.

Oh yeah.

That happened.

Sei buries his head deeper into the pillow and groans. Clear is going to be so disappointed in him, and Granny is going to be so mad at him when he gets home. Did he black out or just pass out? Both of those have happened to him in the past. At least this guy was nice and brought him home. Or to a hotel. Or hospital. Or somewhere. He should probably get up. His head hurts.

"Clear?" he calls out again, sitting up. The room is small and bare. The only other piece of furniture is a lamp on a shelf by the door. Even the floor is just bare concrete with some scuffed spray paint designs on it.

Sei tries to get up and stumbles, nearly falling off the bed. His left foot has still got his boot on, and his right...

His right foot is chained to the bedpost.

Sei goes very still. His heart pounds wildly, dangerously, and black spots creep in on the edge of his vision. He doesn't have his medicine. He doesn't have his Coil. He doesn't have anything that could help him.

"Clear?" If the Allmate is anywhere nearby and turned on, Sei trusts he could hear him. "Clear! Anyone! Help!"

Sei pulls at the chain--it's securely locked around a cross section of the bedpost, so there's no way to get it off by lifting the bed, not that he's strong enough for that. No way to get it off his leg except with a key or a pair of bolt cutters. 

He tries pulling at it anyway and only succeeds in clasping it tighter around his ankle. There is only about three feet of chain, enough for him to lie down on the bed or maybe stand near its foot, but not nearly enough to reach the door or lamp.

Sei sits at the foot of the bed, curling his feet in so he can rub his sore ankle, and he thinks. The man from last night, was that who had kidnapped him? He had known Sei's name. Sei had assumed he was just someone he'd been with before, or at least someone who'd wanted to be with him, but...

The door opens.

Sei straightens up, hugging his knees to his chest, his heart fluttering wildly.

Mink is there, silhouetted against the bright light of the hallway. The pink bird Allmate bird is sitting on his shoulder. Mink still has the strange device clipped to his ear, and his eyes are covered with reflective sunglasses.

Sei draws back farther. He hates those kind of glasses. With his eyes covered, Mink hardly even looks like a person anymore.

"Sei Seragaki," Mink says. The tone of his voice is cold and dead.

Sei curls up more, hunching his shoulders, looking as small and vulnerable as he can. It's not as hard an act as it usually is. He looks up at Mink, his eyes wide and pleading, and he says, "Please, I think you're making a mistake. You don't want--"

"Stop," Mink says firmly.

Sei freezes.

"You are Sei Seragaki?" Mink asks. Sei nods wordlessly. "You started the riot at Club Moonsheen four years ago, is that correct?"

"I didn't--" Sei protests. Mink's mouth hardens into a thin, tense line. Sei lowers his gaze, staring at the floor. "I didn't start the riot. Someone attacked me and I blacked out. I don't know what happened."

Mink snaps his fingers at the bird on his shoulder.

"Midorijima police report 25575ZNT, hospital records,” it recites mechanically. "Incident at Club Moonsheen. 23 reported injuries. 17 treated at West District Hospital for minor injuries including 15 minor bite wounds. 4 treated for major bite wounds. 1 treated for severe bite wounds, in critical condition, stabilized at hospital. 1 in coma, cause unknown, lasting for three days. 27 Allmates observed to be acting erratically, contained and disposed of at the scene."

Mink holds up a hand to signal the bird to stop. "You were the one in the coma, correct?"

Sei keeps his head lowered. "Yes, I--" He looks up again. "But it wasn't because of that! I was fine, after, when Mizuki found me. It was an hour later when I, when I got sick. They said it was unrelated, or because of stress, or..."

Mink's face remains blank, unyielding. Sei wishes he could see his eyes. Even if they were just as cruel and hard as the rest of him, it would still be better.

"Please. I don't know anything more than that," Sei says quietly.

Mink exhales through his nose--disappointed, Sei thinks. Mink reaches into his pocket and tosses something at Sei's bed. Sei flinches, but the object just lands softly on the mattress, bouncing once.

"Turn it on," Mink instructs.

Sei recognizes it at once. "Clear!" Sei cries, scooping his Allmate up and cradling it in his hands. Most Allmates are made to look like they're sleeping while in standby mode, but Clear just looks stiff. Dead.

Sei works his fingers through Clear's fur and feels for the two contact points on his neck. Sei presses them and waits for the lights to come on behind Clear's large, black eyes.

Nothing happens.

"Turn it on," Mink instructs again.

"I'm trying, I--" Sei presses the contacts again, firmly this time. Still, nothing happens. He flips Clear onto his back and opens the seam on his belly, flipping open a catch and wiping Clear's RAM. A cold boot takes a couple of seconds and he'll lose any memories since the last autosave, but it should work.

"Clear?" Sei asks, watching for any indication that the Allmate is coming online. He holds Clear's back to his ear, listening for the hum of his systems. Sei hears nothing.

"Turn the Allmate on," Mink says, and Sei glares at him.

"Did you do something to Clear?" Sei asks. He can feel tears burning in his eyes, and he blinks them back defiantly. 

"Turn the Allmate on," Mink says again, as impassive as ever.

"I can't!" Sei yells back. "He's broken! Do you have any tools? Maybe I could--"

Mink takes a step forward and neatly backhands Sei across the cheek, snapping his head to the side. "Turn the Allmate on," he says.

"I can't," Sei says weakly, clutching his cheek. Clear went flying when Mink hit him. Sei doesn't think he's even in reach anymore.

Mink backhands him again, hitting the other side.

"Please, I don't--"

Mink takes two steps forward and, with one large hand, grabs Sei around the neck and pushes him against the wall. His hand squeezes tight on Sei's throat. Sei can't breathe.

"Turn the Allmate on," Mink says. His voice hasn't changed at all, not even a hint of effort as he chokes Sei against the wall.

Sei pulls at Mink with both hands, trying desperately to loosen Mink's hold enough to take a quick breath. His lungs burn, his heart is pounding like it will break out of his chest. His vision fades to black for a moment, and when it returns he sees Mink smiling in approval.

He doesn't know what Mink wants. He doesn't know where Clear is. He wouldn't even know what to do with him if he did have him. He can't breathe. He can't breathe.

Sei's vision dims. He stops struggling.

"Don't hurt Master Sei!"

Sei can suddenly breathe again. He doubles over, coughing and wheezing as his lungs harshly suck in oxygen. His eyes are teary, but he can see Clear wrapped around Mink's left hand, his little claws and teeth scratching at Mink's wrist.

Mink's right hand reaches out to Sei, and Sei flinches away, squinting his eyes shut, but Mink only trails his fingertips gently across Sei's cheek. "You did well," he says softly. Sei stares at him in disbelief.

Mink backs away, closing his hand firmly over Clear, trapping him against his wrist. Mink turns and walks towards the door.

"Wait!" Sei yells--or, tries to yell. His voice is a hoarse whisper. Mink doesn't make any indication that he heard Sei. "Clear!"

"Master Sei, I'm sorry!" Clear cries. "I'm so, so sorry!"

"Clear!" Sei rasps. He lunges off the bed, trying to grab Mink. He reaches the edge of his chain and falls to the ground, his fingertips just barely missing the edge of Mink's coat.

Mink pauses in the doorway, turning around, looking down at Sei. He reaches into his pocket and takes out a small bag, tossing it at Sei's feet. He closes the door behind him, and Sei is left alone.

Sei moves back to the foot of the bed, resting his back against the cold metal post. He prods gently at his sore throat, and winces when he moves his foot and feels how the cuff has dug into his ankle. 

He picks up the paper bag Mink tossed to him and sees that it has a bottle of water and a few energy bars in it. The energy bars are soft and have thin wrappers. The water bottle is made of a flimsy plastic, but at least it has a weight to it. Sei hefts it in his hand, debating whether he could use it for something. It wouldn't make a dent in Mink, but maybe he could hit something else with it.

He eyes the table with the lamp. Maybe he could knock it over? And use the cord for...something? In the dark?

His throat hurts. He twists the top off the water and downs half the bottle, letting the cool water soothe his damaged throat. It tingles, too, and Sei thinks it's just another symptom of his injury until his head starts to swim. A moment later, he's unconscious.

***

Sei wakes up slowly, his head still heavy from the drugs. He's lying on the bed and someone is stroking his hair, gently, gently, just a touch of fingertips trailing from his scalp all the way to the ends of his hair.

Sei blearily opens his eyes and tries to stop himself from leaning into the touch.

It's Mink, of course.

"You're awake," Mink says. It's a statement, not a question. He continues to stroke Sei's hair. His lips are soft, his jaw relaxed. Sei wishes he could see his eyes.

"You did well," Mink says. His voice is low, almost a whisper. "Clear is fine. If you do well today, I'll let you see him again."

"Why--" Sei tries to say, but his voice catches in his throat.

"Sit up," Mink says, soft, but still a command. He assists Sei in sitting up, his hands strong and supportive on Sei's shoulders. He carefully adjusts the chain on Sei's ankle so it doesn't pull.

Sei feels something cool pressed against his lips. "Drink," Mink says, tipping the cup.

Sei swallows the water reflexively, and it feels so good on his throat he finds himself wrapping his hands around Mink's so he can drink faster.

Mink exhales in that way Sei is learning is the closest Mink gets to a laugh, and he says, "Don't choke."

The cup is empty. When Mink brings out a water bottle to refill it, Sei's heart jumps and he has to remind himself that he shouldn't feel grateful. Mink hands it and an energy bar to Sei, and he watches as Sei drinks.

"Better?" Mink asks.

Sei nods, unwrapping the energy bar. He smells the sweet, earthy scent of it and realizes how hungry he is. He takes a huge bite of it, chewing and swallowing it before he even has the time to taste it. He stares at the reflections in the silver wrapper. "Why are you doing this?" he asks.

"I need your power," Mink says, and he sounds...no, not sad. 'Sad' is too much of an emotion. 'Resigned,' perhaps.

"I don't have..." Sei starts to say, but stops. He takes another bite of his energy bar and chews more slowly. 

He can't keep lying to himself. 

He doesn't remember what happened right after he was attacked at the club, but when he came to his senses, he was unharmed and the Allmates were tearing at the man's body. 

Sei hadn't said anything, not out loud, but he had thought, "No, please, stop" and they had.

The Allmates all looked at him with dark, loving eyes, the way Clear looks at him now. They seemed calm, not dangerous at all except for the blood staining their mouths and claws.

That was when Mizuki had found him, had bundled him up and led him past the bleeding man and the Allmates, all still calm and patiently sitting there and lovingly watching him.

Sei swallows. "I didn't know I have powers," Sei amends himself.

Mink exhales again, and there might be a hint of a smile at the edge of his lips. Then again, it might just be a shadow. Sei wishes he could see Mink's eyes. He gives Mink his sweetest smile, reaching for Mink's sunglasses. "Why are you--"

Mink catches Sei's hand in his own before it can reach his face. He holds it so effortlessly, Sei feels like his hand has been caught by a stone statue. He's suddenly aware that if Mink wished, he could just squeeze a little bit and crush all the bones in Sei's hand.

"I'm sorry," gasps Sei.

Mink holds Sei's hand for a moment more, just to make his point, before releasing it. "Are you done drinking?" Mink asks.

"Yes, thank you," Sei says.

Mink collects the cup and water bottle, tucking them away in his bag. He goes to the center of the room where a small object, about knee height, is covered by a brown sheet. Mink takes the sheet off now, revealing a sitting doberman.

"Do you know what this is?" Mink asks.

"An Allmate?" Sei guesses. It seems obvious, and by Mink's expression, he's missed something.

"It's a Defense Allmate type K-9 Mark IV, the latest in security Allmates, not available for purchase. They have face and ID recognition capabilities, can independently progressively increase security level based on perceived threat, and are equipped with teeth capable of exerting up to 2,400psi and a laser cannon." Mink pauses. "The cannon has been disabled. All other functions are still operational. 

"In a moment, I am going to turn this Allmate on. At that point, I will no longer be able to turn it off. On its current settings, it will increase security level approximately once every thirty seconds. At level three, it will physically restrain you. At level five, it will attempt to use lethal force."

"Wait--" Sei says, but Mink has already pressed the button. 

The Allmate turns on with a quiet whirr. Its eyes light up red. They focus on Sei. "You are not recognized. Please present identification."

"I'm sorry, I don't have identification," Sei says politely. He looks at Mink helplessly, who shows no expression. Of course. "I don't..." He looks at the Allmate. He can do this. He closes his eyes, gathers himself for a moment, and concentrates on imposing his will on the Allmate. He stares it in the eyes. "I don't need identification. I'm supposed to be here," Sei says with more confidence than he feels.

"Negative," the Allmate says. "Present identification or the security office will be notified."

"I don't..." Sei struggles again. He focuses harder on the Allmate. "You don't need to notify them," he says with a persuasive little handwave.

The dog makes a funny clicking noise. "The security offices will be notified." It tilts its head to the side. "The security office can not be reached."

Sei looks at Mink, eyes bright, hoping for confirmation that it worked. Mink shakes his head. "The building is shielded from transmissions."

The dog makes the clicking noise again. "You will be detained." Its muscles bunch like a real dog about to pounce, but it leaps the length of the room, farther and faster than any real dog could go.

It lands on Sei's chest, pinning him against the bed. The dog's muzzle is an inch from his nose, its mouth thankfully still closed. Sei concentrates as hard as he can, staring it straight in its glowing red eyes.

"You will let me go," Sei says forcefully, trying to push the dog away.

The dog makes the click again. Sei realizes what that sound means: a rise in security level. "Security office can not be reached," the dog says. "Disabling measures have been authorized."

The dog opens its mouth. Sei can see two rows of shiny metal teeth, like a shark. It lunges for Sei's neck. Sei closes his eyes and braces for the pain.

A rustle of metal and cloth, the wind of something rushing towards him. No pain comes.

Sei opens his eyes. Mink is there, his arm shoved between the Allmate's teeth. His mouth has a slight grimace, the only indication of the massive amount of pain he must be feeling.

"Please stop! You're hurting him!" Sei pleads.

The Allmate pauses. He doesn't let Mink go, but Sei can see his jaw loosen its grip slightly.

"I am supposed to," the dog says slowly, his teeth still buried in Mink's arm.

“Why?” asks Sei. He reaches out and, with shaking hands, gently strokes the sides of the Allmate's jaws.

"I need to protect the Tower from intruders," the Allmate says.

Sei keeps stroking him. "This isn't the tower, is it?" Sei asks.

The dog's red eyes focus in and out, as if truly seeing his surroundings for the first time. "No, it isn't."

"See? We're not intruders," Sei says. "Do you have a name?"

"No," the dog says. "Do you have a name?"

Sei smiles kindly at him. "My name is Sei. Would you please let Mink go? He must be in a lot of pain."

"One moment," the dog says, opening his jaws. Sei can hear the wet noise the metal makes as it leaves Mink's arm. Mink hisses through his teeth, just once. He then removes his bandana and ties it around his injury, pulling it tight with his teeth.

"Thank you," Sei says.

"You are welcome, Sei. Sei?" the dog asks, his stubby tail flopping back and forth. "Can you give me a name?"

Sei leans forward, giving the dog a smile. "I'll have to think of a good one." The dog's tail wags faster.

"For your efforts," Mink grunts, tossing something to Sei with his good hand. "As promised."

"Clear!" Sei catches the Allmate and immediately turns him on, feeling an instant rush of relief when Clear's big black eyes start to glow.

"Master Sei!" Clear cried. He leaps from Sei's hand onto his shoulder, burying himself in Sei's hair and nuzzling at his neck. Sei cups his hand around Clear and leans his cheek against him.

"I'm so sorry, Master Sei!"

Sei hushes him. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just glad you're okay."

Sei feels a weight on his knee. He pauses in cuddling Clear and sees that the dog Allmate has politely placed one of his paws on Sei. His head is cocked slightly to one side.

Behind him, Mink watches all of this impassively. His bandana and sleeve are soaked through, and blood is dripping slowly off of his fingertips onto the floor.

"I'm sorry," Sei says. He plays Clear on his knee, next to the dog's paw. "This is Clear. He's my personal Allmate." He turns to Clear.

Mink kneels down behind the dog Allmate, wrapping his palm around the back of his neck.

"Clear, this is--"

Mink twists the dog's neck. There is a sharp snapping sound, and everything goes black.

***

"That is not what Mink ordered." A deeper voice. Mechanical. The bird?

"I'm saying, there are better ways to serve your Master than by just following orders." Sei would know that sweet, wheedly voice anywhere. Clear.

The Allmates are talking.

Strange.

"I would not disobey Mink's orders."

"I'm not saying disobey him, I'm just saying..." Clear's voice lowers like he's speaking confidentially. "The thing about Masters is, well, sometimes they're kind of dumb. Not _dumb_ -dumb, but. Well. For example, Master Sei has a bad habit of missing meals. And it's dangerous for him to get low blood sugar, and also, he gets kind of cranky! So if he goes too long without eating, I'll remind him to get some food."

"He has told you to do this?"

"No, but it's what's best for him. Maid-tan calls it 'Anticipation' and it's one of the most important skills for a servant to have!"

Sei can't help a smile at that. He always thought Clear was a bit obsessed with that show.

"And another thing!" Clear continues. "Master Sei doesn't like it when I remind him to eat sometimes, so what I'll do is say that _I'm_ hungry, or I'll lead him to a restaurant he likes by accident, only it's not an accident, and then he'll eat something and I'll eat something and we'll both be happy!"

Sei can't help a little snorting laugh at that. So that's what Clear was doing all the times he gave Sei bad directions. That little sneaky angel.

Of course Clear notices and flies over to him. "Master Sei! You're awake! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. A little headache." He sits up and runs his fingers through Clear's fur. Clear nuzzles at Sei's fingertips. He turns back to the bird.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" he asks.

The bird tilts its head. "No."

Clear gives a sigh of disgust. "Master Sei, make him be less dumb!"

Sei smiles at the bird. Why not? "What's your name?" he asks.

"I am not to look at you or speak with you. I will inform Mink immediately that you are awake." It lifts its wings to fly away.

"You're very loyal to Mink, aren't you?" Sei says.

The bird cocks his head again. "Yes," he says slowly. "I...suppose I am." He flies out of the room.

"Oh, Master Sei, I'm so sorry," Clear says again. "If I hadn't run off..."

Sei rubs Clear's head. "Mink was already following me, remember? I don't think anything could stop that man from getting what he wants." Sei remembers the lack of expression on Mink's face when the dog's teeth had sunk into his arm. He's sure that Mink would have let the dog kill them both rather than give up.

"I can't get a signal out," Clear says miserably. "I can't protect you. I'm sorry, Master Sei. I'm useless."

"No..." Sei says, resting his lips on the top of Clear's head. "No, you're not useless. You're wonderful just the way you are."

"Would you like me to sing for you, Master Sei?" Clear asks.

Sei sighs into Clear's fur and doesn't answer. "Clear?"

"Yes, Master Sei?"

"Are you...did I make you...are you alive?" Sei asks at last.

"I don't know," Clear says. "Maybe? I don't remember what I was like before you found me. I know that when you look at us, you make us better."

"I'm sorry. I should have realized." Sei sighs again and closes his eyes.

"Master Sei?"

Sei hums into Clear's fur.

"Are we going to get out of here?"

"Yes," Sei says firmly. "Somehow," he adds, a little less sure.

"I believe you," Clear says, and Sei can tell that he does. It makes his heart hurt a little.

"I'm glad you're here with me, Clear," Sei says. "Is that selfish?"

"I love you, Master Sei," Clear says, like that's an answer. Like that's all he has to say.

Sei laughs sadly and bends his head, tucking his forehead against Clear's belly. "Thank you."

A dull thudding in the hallway outside--Mink's footsteps, Sei thinks, carrying something heavy.

"That dog, from before," Sei whispers to Clear. "Did Mink kill him?"

"Yes," Clear whispers back.

Sei takes a moment and breathes deeply. He's still not sure what his powers do, and he doesn't even know how he feels about the idea that he has them, but he knows that he can't stand the thought of giving something life only to have it taken away again.

He lifts Clear, turns him until they're eye-to-eye. "Clear, no matter what, I need you to not interfere. Do you understand?"

"But Master Sei--"

"Please." Sei's voice is desperate. Clear nods. "Thank you."

He tucks Clear safely into a pocket and stands up.

Mink enters, standing in the doorway, silhouetted by light. "Are you ready?" he asks.

Sei nods.

Mink looks off to the side and casually cracks his neck. "You're making good progress. Only a few more tests and we'll be ready to move on."

"Good," Sei says. He can see a bit of the bandages hooked around Mink's thumb. His coat sleeve is still torn and stiff with dried blood.

"There are several Allmates in this hallway," Mink says. "They're turned on and in standby mode. I am going to hurt you, and I am going to keep hurting you until you make those Allmates stop me. Do you understand?"

Sei swallows hard and nods again. He braces himself. He doesn't want to do what Mink wants. He hopes he has the strength.

The first strike comes before he expects it, a solid punch across his jaw that knocks him back and makes him ache all the way to the back of his teeth. The next lands on his stomach, thankfully missing any ribs. Sei wonders if Mink is holding back on purpose or if it's just that he's using his injured arm.

Sei doubles over, tasting bile in the back of his throat. He turns his face farther away from Mink, causing his long, loose hair to slip over his shoulder. He hopes Mink takes the bait.

Mink grabs a fistful of Sei's hair, twisting it around his wrist and pulling back until Sei is facing Mink again, neck straining and exposed. Sei feels a little thrill of triumph.

"Call for him," Mink instructs, and his fist tights around Sei's hair, like he knows that Sei can feel it. Sei grits his teeth against the pain and tries not to wince. 

This is good, he thinks. From this angle, with Mink's face so close, Sei can see through the reflective sunglasses a little. Clear said that Sei changes Allmates when he looks at them, and Mink has taken great care to hide his eyes. There must be something to that.

Sei can see a hint of Mink's eyes through the sunglasses, not much, just a dark curve of his lashes, a bit of brightness with the light hits his golden irises. Sei hopes it's enough.

He stares into Mink's eyes and thinks, as hard as he can, 'You will let us go.' He pushes, he forces himself on Mink's mind, he's only got a few seconds before Mink realizes that Sei's not calling for the Allmates, he pushes harder, and...

And pushing doesn't work, does it? Sei had pushed and pushed on the dog Allmate earlier, but it was only when he had talked to it like a person, invited it in, that it had stopped.

Mink's eyes look sad, Sei thinks. They don't, really. They look blank and dead, but maybe that in itself is sort of sad. Mink hurts people, he kidnapped Sei, he hurt Clear, he killed the dog Allmate, he's probably killed others, and he feels nothing. Locked away, deep inside somewhere, Mink is probably very sad. His eyes look sad, Sei thinks. 

The world dims.

Mink's hand tightens in Sei's hair. Someone is screaming, hundreds of people are screaming, and--

"Is something burning?" Sei asks.

Mink is crying.

Mink's expression hasn't changed, still stiff and determined and unyielding, but two clear, wet trails shine on his cheeks.

Mink lets go of Sei's hair and swipes his fingers across his cheeks. He stares in bewilderment, rubbing his fingertips together until the liquid disappears.

Mink stands up and leaves the room, moving as quickly as he can without running. He leaves the door open behind him, Sei and Clear forgotten in the tiny room. Sei could just walk out if he weren't chained to the bed.

Clear crawls out of Sei's pocket, wrapping himself around Sei's wrist. "Master Sei? Did you just break Mink?"

Sei rubs Clear's head. "I don't know. It didn't feel like breaking something." Sei collapses on the bed, curling himself around Clear in return. "My head hurts. Everything hurts. Would you sing for me?"

Clear sings, and Sei closes his eyes and waits for Mink to return.

He changed something in Mink. Sei isn't sure what, but he knows he felt a switch. A small one. He has the feeling he could have done more, with time, but. Mink is different. 

He hopes he made Mink kinder. 

He’s afraid he made him furious.

He hears a noise over Clear's singing. It's not footsteps, like he'd expected. Just the soft flapping of wings.

The bird lands at Sei's feet, dropping something on the sheets. Sei sits up. He sees a small silver key and his Coil. He grabs the key and fits it into his ankle lock, hands fumbling with urgency. The cuff pops open, and Sei spends a precious moment to rub the raw, aching skin.

"Go," the bird says. "There is a staircase at the end of the hallway to the right. Take it to the top. The door to the outside is unlocked. Go now."

"Thank you," Sei says.

The bird shivers his wings and turns his head away, deliberately not looking at Sei. "If you stay, you will ruin Mink. Leave, and do not come back."

The bird turns his back to Sei and flies away.

Sei secures the Coil on his wrist and tucks Clear safely into a pocket. He makes a quick check around the room, but it looks like his missing boot is nowhere to be seen.

Sei gingerly limps out of the room, favoring his bare, formerly cuffed foot. The Allmates Mink had mentioned are still standing in the hallway, staring blankly ahead. Sei walks past them, hoping they don't come out of sleep mode. He reaches the staircase and walks up it, taking the hard concrete steps as fast as his sore legs can manage.

One, two, three flights, and at the top of the fourth is only a door. Sei reaches for the handle, turns it. The door opens easily, and Sei shields his eyes from the sudden sunlight.

A stray thought--is this one of Mink's tests?--and Sei is running out of the alley towards a busy street. At the end of the alley is a strangely familiar motorcycle. Sei realizes it's the one that almost ran him over last week.

Clear peeks his nose out of Sei's pocket and recognizes the motorcycle as well.

"I'm going to say it," Clear says. "That guy was a real jerk."

Sei pats Clear's head. "I agree."

It's going to be a long walk home with only one shoe, Sei thinks. He recognizes the concrete pillars lining the street, and he knows he's miles from home. He walks over to an empty hansom cab whose driver is eating a sandwich. They're always stupidly expensive, but they're the only mode of transportation that can always get where you want to go.

"Sorry, I'm on my break," the driver says.

Sei takes a deep breath and cups his hands around the soft muzzle of the zebra Allmate pulling the cab.

"That's too bad," Sei says, smiling kindly at the Allmate. "You are a very handsome Allmate. So strong. Are you sure you can't make an exception?" He wants to test this. He thinks he can do this. "What do you think?" he asks the Allmate.

The Allmate blinks slowly, turning her head side to side to look at Sei with both eyes. "I like him," she says, her voice low and sweet. "Can we take him?"

"What?" the driver sputters.

"Thank you," Sei says, and he tickles the zebra's chin. She tosses her head and stamps her feet in delight as Sei climbs into the cab. He gives the driver his address and feels the tension leave his shoulders as they drive away from Mink's headquarters.

"Master Sei, you have 37 unread messages," Clear chirps.

"Mostly from Mizuki?" Sei guesses, checking his coil. His guess is right, but he also has some from Mr. Haga, two from Detective Akushima, and...huh. He didn't even think Ren had a Coil, but there are several from him as well.

Sei doesn't bother reading them--it's faster just to call home. He dials Granny and it gets picked up by the second ring.

"Hello?"

It's not Granny, but Sei recognizes the voice. "Mizuki?"

"Sei! Are you all right?"

Sei feels a twinge of guilt at the worry in Mizuki's voice. Not that he could have helped being kidnapped. "Everything's okay. We had a bit of trouble for a while, but Clear and I are on our way home now. I'll explain everything once we get there," Sei says, as soothingly as he can.

The line is silent for a moment. Sei hears muffled voices talking, and then Noiz's voice.

"Sei. Is your grandmother with you?" he asks.

Sei's heart stops. "No," he hears his own voice saying weakly. "Why?"

"We'll talk when you get here," Noiz says, and ends the call.


End file.
